Lamima

A phinisi is the two-masted wooden cargo ship of Sulawesi, and Lamima takes the type to a size it had never reached. Her hull was shaped by hand in Ara, a village where boatbuilding passes from father to son, by the master builders Haji Baso and Haji Saka, working to lines drawn by Marcelo Penna in Barcelona. She was launched in 2014, refitted in 2024 and is today the biggest boat of her kind available for charter. The detail that sets her apart from most phinisis is paperwork: she was built under RINA supervision and is still surveyed by the Italian society every year, which answers the obvious question about how safe a traditional wooden boat can be.

She flies the Indonesian flag, and her owners say that registration is what lets her reach the far corners of the archipelago. Her calendar follows the weather. From June to October she is based in Labuan Bajo for Komodo, Flores and the islands towards Bali; from November to May she moves to Sorong for Raja Ampat, Triton Bay and the Spice Islands. In both places the reason to go is under the surface. A separate dive boat, nitrox and two PADI instructors in the crew allow up to four dives a day, and guests who have never breathed from a tank can qualify during the trip.

The way she is priced is unusual too. On her own website the rate is fully inclusive: meals, wine and cocktails, diving, unlimited massages from the two therapists on board, park and clearance fees, transfers and Starlink are covered, with Indonesian VAT added on top. For anyone used to Mediterranean charters, where fuel, food and drink come on top of the fee, the final bill is far easier to predict. Mornings can begin with yoga on deck, and the whole crew is Indonesian, something the co-owner, a former merchant officer and superyacht captain, built the project around.

She suits a multi-generation family or a group of friends who dive or want to learn, and who would rather spend the evening on a deserted beach than in a harbour bar. All seven cabins are en-suite doubles or twins, so seven couples travel without anyone sleeping in a bunk. She is not quick: ten knots is her top speed, so longer passages are part of the plan. Jet skis may only be used outside the national parks, and both bases are in eastern Indonesia, so the journey to the boat takes time. Anyone after beach clubs and a lively port each night should choose another region.